Lymphatic research has experienced a near explosion of activity in recent years, as awareness of the importance of lymphatic mechanisms to the continuum of human biology and disease has grown. This "lymphatic continuum" now easily encompasses cardiovascular disease, respiratory inflammation, obesity, autoimmune disease, and chronic transplant rejection, among many other pathologic conditionas. An exponential growth in technological tools for research has made possible a similar growth in our comprehension of the molecular regulatory processes that govern the normal development and function of the lymphatic system. The purpose of this volume is to review and document the wonderful growth of insight into the tools for lymphatic investigation, biological principles of the lymphatic system, and biological principles in lymphedema diagnosis and management, as well as the lymphatic biology of cancer and metastasis. NOTE: Annals volumes are available for sale as individual books or as a journal. For information on institutional journal subscriptions, please visit www.blackwellpublishing.com/nyas. ACADEMY MEMBERS: Please contact the New York Academy of Sciences directly to place your order (www.nyas.org). Members of the New York Academy of Science receive full-text access to the Annals online and discounts on print volumes. Please visit http://www.nyas.org/MemberCenter/Join.aspx for more information about becoming a member